Vukana - Goddess of Madness and Nightmares
Vukana is one of the twenty gods of the Imbringen Islands. A thoroughly evil goddess rumored to be born from the depths of depravity, she is known among many circles as the Goddess of Madness and Nightmares. Treated with universal contempt and hatred, even from the demon tainted kingdom of Inferex, worship of Vukana is outlawed in all civilized cities and townships, ensuring that those who are loyal to her and her goals remain hidden from sight, their altars and shrines tucked away in caves or within sewers and basements. Legends surrounding Vukana paint her as the 'mother of monsters', responsible for the creation of the various bestial races which plague the Imbringen Islands and the other continents of Azeroth. Whether this is true or not remains hard to prove, as there are very few who will willingly speak about Vukana, and multiple monster lairs across Imbringen and beyond often have a shrine or altar dedicated to the goddess, which usually takes the form of a flat stone and either an animal skull or a monster skull, depending on what is available. Unlike the other gods and goddesses of Imbringen, who have multiple goals, many of which benefiting civilization as a whole, Vukana only has one desire, one primary objective, which is to spread chaos and madness across the entirety of Azeroth. To accomplish this goal, she instructed her most faithful to form a church dedicated to her and her mission, the Church of the Imprisoned Mind. As time wore on and the church expanded, it adopted a militant branch, the Chaotic Brotherhood and an Inquisition, the Mind Leechers, both arms of Vukana who carry out her will while the mother of monsters sets about creating a new breed of abominations for her ever growing army. Vukana's power is one that is both invasive and corrupting. Legend states that she gained these powers by ritually consuming parts of her own body, along with parts from her own daughters, before they all drank from the blood of a thousand trolls, using their regenerative properties to heal their ravaged bodies. Like other legends surrounding Vukana, this one has also remained difficult to authenticate, but regardless of how she gained her power, there is no denying that she has great magical ability, and has no issue with using that power, especially on the newborn. It is said that a single unseen touch from Vukana is enough to cause a baby to be stillborn, or to be born with horrible deformities. When such births take place, they are usually preceded by powerful nightmares that leave the mother shaking and screaming in the night and they are usually followed with the family being chased from their village or town, as few men and women are willing to live with a family that has been cursed by Vukana. Artistic variations of Vukana vary depending on the source of the work. Some paint her as a deformed human woman, with ashen, broken skin and horns pushing out from the side of her head. Others give her a far more bestial appearance, often replacing her head or her limbs with those of a monsters. What does not change however regardless of the source is that she is always seen as a deformed woman and that she is always depicted as being visibly pregnant, likely to reinforce her position as the 'mother of monsters'. To those who follow her faithfully, she provides them various boons and gifts, often providing malformed transformations to men, while providing women who serve her with malformed children. In normal societies such things are considered abominable, and many religions would seek to remove the malformed limb or end the life of the child before it can suffer. Not so for the followers of Vukaka, who consider her transformations as a blessing. In fact, to those who worship her, it is considered a curse for a mother to give birth to a healthy child free from all defection. Such curses are rare, for Vukaka is a patient goddess, but even her patience has its limits and those who test it might find themselves cursed by her wrath. Such curses may include the removal of malformed limbs where there was once one, or worse, for women, they might give birth to a perfectly beautiful child. For cults that aspire to deformity and corruption, having something as pure and beautiful as an unmarred baby is considered the gravest of curses, made even worse if the baby is of a race that is known for its beauty, like the Elves or the Draenei. Vukana's holy symbol is the skull of an animal. The exact species of the skull matters not, although elk skulls are preferred over others. This symbol can be found at all her shrines and altars, marking them as her own and smaller versions, often carved from animal bone, often adorn the bodies of her priests and priestesses. These men and women are devout, almost to the point of zealotry, and will defend the altars and shrines of their mistress with their lives if need be. History Vukana, like all the twenty Imbringen gods and goddesses, was originally a mortal. A vrykul woman known as Vukash. A female of the Dragonflayer Clan, she lived the simple life of a goat-herder, rather content with her lot until the rise of King Ymiron. Already with child at the time when he announced that all malformed offspring would be killed, she fiercely objected, although she did little to act out against the King. When she did give birth, her child was one of the malformed, and she was forced to watch as the pureblood Vrykul loyal to the King ripped her baby from her arms and executed it in an attempt to keep their race pure. This infuriated Vukash to no end, but she had no means of fighting back against the King, as she was nothing more than a goat-herder, with no military skill or magical powers to wield against those who had wounded her by killing her child. Unable to remain within her clan, she left and fled south toward the coast. It was this act which would change her fate forever, although she did not know it then, as during her journey away from her clan she encountered a roaming band of Vrykul who were also intent on leaving their people behind. Led by two brothers, Qanlor and Loreskil, these Vrykul willingly accepted Vukash into their group and kept moving until they reached the waters edge before sailing on to the islands which would eventually become their new home. Initially Vukash remained separate from the group. Interacting only when she needed to, the pain of her lost child still fresh in her mind, but as the years passed, she started to grow close to one of her companions, the brother Qanlor. Together the pair proved to be quite the couple, although there was a darkness that seemed to gnaw at them that no one could quite place. When the pair conceived a child together, there was cause for much celebration, for the original twenty settlers who traveled to the region were as close as family. Together, Vukash and Qanlor named their first child Uvthar, and he grew up to become a strapping young lad, although he was not Vrykul like his father or mother. Many years later when news broke that one of their companions, Aellaskal had discovered an ancient device, Vukash was summoned along with her lover, and they brought with them their only son. All three were brought into the chamber that housed the Locus, and all three touched the device, ascending to a level of being that was beyond anything they could have hoped for with Vukash gaining power over the mind, able to influence those around her with nothing more than a simple touch. They returned to their respective homes and over the years gained fame among the ordinary populace, but their good fortune would end in what would become known as the War of the Gods. This war, pitted brother against brother, with Loreskil and Qanlor fighting in a war that soon dragged the other gods and goddesses into the battle. Vukash chose to side with her lover Qanlor, and was joined by Teremel, Zonari and Nyris. United the group was extremely powerful and won many battles, but were soon stopped by the force of gods that had united against them. The sides were now evenly matched, but Vukash knew that if she could manage to convince her son to join on the side of his father, that they could triumph and make the other gods pay for their actions. Sadly it was not to be, as Uvthar refused to side with either Vukash or Qanlor, an act which tore at her heart and made her extremely bitter. Without the aid of her son, the forces of Qanlor quickly crumbled, with the other gods abandoning the fight. Vukash herself was subdued in battle by Fydon, his command over the water easily subduing her, as her powers required her to touch the victim, and Fydon used his power to keep her at bay and unable to influence his mind. When Qanlor was imprisoned she flew into a fit of rage, denouncing the other gods and retreating to her bastion of power, but she never rose up to fight again, as she knew that without her lover or the aid of the other gods, she would have no chance against a united force as large or larger than the one that had bested them in this war. She began to brood on her failures and as her mind slipped, that is when she first heard the call. The call of a being that sought only her obedience, a being with a presence so strong that she could barely resist the orders that the voices in her head were giving her. Despite her attempts to resist she ultimately failed, and soon swore allegiance to the greater power. In return, her abilities were enhanced, and she became far more powerful than any of her brother and sister gods, but that power fractured her mind and mutated her body, turning her into a being that was more bestial than vrykul. Since that time she has remained in bastion of power, which soon became a place as dark and twisted as the mind of the goddess. When Imbringen fell to the Burning Legion and the Scourge during the Third War, her land was the only portion untouched, as no demon or undead dared venture into that region, lest they become overtaken by the power that dwelled within. The Church of the Imprisoned Mind The Temples and Shrines of Vukana The Chaotic Brotherhood The Role of the Church Unique Professions within the Church Clothing of the Faithful The Holy Texts Celebrated Holidays Aphorisms Relations with Other Faiths Relics of the Faithful Disclaimer Vukana is very loosely based off of the goddess Lamashtu from the Pathfinder Universe. Category:Gods Category:Duchy of Avern Category:Imbringen Islands